All the World: A stage
by Alicia Hardy
Summary: The Hardy gang seems to have a lot of drama on their hands lately, so a chance to get away and see old friends is welcomed right away. But is the mystery they wished for a bit too much for them?  An Alicia Hardy Story Please review. :
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Those of you readers just joining us, you should take a look at my profile and Introduction to Disaster. It will make things a little less confusing. Also, this story takes place 4 months after the High Stakes case ends, (where Alicia met and started dating one of the stable hands), and a few weeks after the wedding. I'll try and post at least once a week. Also, we see Jean-Claude for a little bit, frome the Christmas special. Thanks! Enjoy!  
**_

~*~  
"Are you sure you don't want me to beat him up for you?" Joe was serious. No one hurt his baby sister, and that was that.

Alicia's eyes were red with tears. She half smiled. "He's not worth it anyways." The two Hardys were in the living room; Joe was sitting on the love seat next to Alicia, who had draped a blanket over her head and was hugging her knees to her chest.

Frank walked in the front door. "Hey, what just happened? I saw Ben leave, and he looked –" Frank saw Alicia curled up, hiding under the blanket, and moved to storm back out the door.

"Frank, please. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Alicia took a shaky breath in. "Ever since he moved to the ranch just to be closer to me, he felt like I was never around. I can't blame him, I wouldn't like me either, running off all the time and solving dangerous cases with two handsome boys." She gave a sort of half laugh at her joke before hiding her face again in her knees. "I feel like I'm going to die… not even 4 months… no wonder he declined my invitation back to Saratoga…"

"We saw him with Chelsea Lorene just down the block," Joe said, catching Frank up on the full story. "I would have slugged him then, but I was more worried about Alicia." He looked at Alicia, afraid to go on any further. She noticed.

"What Joe is trying to phrase in a way that makes it easier for me to here is that they've been 'together' almost the entire time we were 'dating.' Remember when we got back from Saratoga and almost two days later got that bizarre assignment that had us rushing all over New York. That was the day they met." The acidic bitterness in Alicia's voice could eat through steel. "He didn't have to wait for her."

After a long silence, Frank spoke up. "Well, it just goes to show how stupid he is." Alicia looked up, surprised, then put her head back down as if it were too heavy to hold up. "If he didn't realize you were worth the wait, then he isn't good enough for you." He slid his back pack off of his shoulder and pulled out a file. "I have something for my favorite underclassmen." He laughed and waved it in front of Alicia's bent head. When she didn't look up, he added, "It's a new case… You might like it; it's pretty exciting. It may not a mystery, but it's a great way to start a winter break."

Alicia peeked from behind her knees. When she saw the file, she picked up her head, the blanket slid down to around her shoulders, and she snatched the file from Frank greedily. "This is just what I needed!" She said excitedly. "Something to take my mind off of… what's his face," she muttered, already feeling better. While other girls turn to chocolate, Alicia turned to mysteries and adventures.

"Remind me whenever I make her mad to just find a mystery really fast," Joe joked. Frank rolled his eyes. "So what's this one about?" Joe asked Alicia, looking over her shoulder.

"Protection detail, a prince is flying into the JFK tomorrow and heard we were the best. He's attending a show in Cincinnati later and invited us along, so we get a vacation, too." He smiled. "I considered calling Bess and Nancy, since they were also invited –"

"But we all know that's a bad idea. Joe would get jealous and want to keep Bess for himself." She smirked as Joe slugged her. "Then again, if we were all in the same area, a mystery would be bound to find us. Not to mention another opportunity to show you and Nancy how blind you two are." Frank turned red. There were always sparks flying between he and Nancy, but they were just good friends. After all, he was in love with Callie, and she was in love with Ned. As long as they were together, nothing could happen between them.

Frank sighed, and shook his head. "I was going to extend the invite anyways, so don't go all 'Frank and Nancy' on me. It will be fun. I'll invite George, too." Frank left to call River Heights.

Joe stared up at the ceiling and smiled. "The 7 of us in Ohio… what could possibly go wrong?" Alicia glared at him. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Now everything that could go wrong will go wrong. Thanks, Joe!" She smiled, then sighed loudly. Seeing Nancy, Bess, George, and Jean-Claude would give her something to look forward to, but she still felt like crying. Her one and only relationship ended in pieces. Even while Ned and Callie didn't like the fact that Frank and Nancy were always running into danger and spending time with each other, they were still together. _Doesn't mean they should be_, she thought, smiling, thinking about if they left, Frank and Nancy would be that much closer to getting together. _That wouldn't be so bad._

Frank walked back in with a smile on his face. "They are in. We'll meet them in Cincinnati Saturday and be home in time for Christmas."

Alicia smiled before climbing back under her blanket and leaning into Joe's shoulder. "I'm exhausted now. Remind me never to use up that much emotion over one lousy guy ever again."

"Hey Alicia," Joe said, very seriously. Alicia picked her head up and looked at him.

"Yes Joe?"

"Don't ever use up that emotion over a lousy guy again." Alicia slugged him in the arm playfully.

***  
Frank, Joe and Alicia loaded up the car Saturday morning to pick up Jean-Claude and head to JFK. Alicia tossed the last bag into the back, and slammed the trunk shut.

"There!" she said triumphantly. "It all fits!"

Frank looked at the back of the car; the trunk was considerably closer to the ground. "Are you sure those aren't over weight? I'm not paying extra for them you know."

"My one suitcase is exactly 50 pounds. Its Joe's carry on filled with junk that I'm worried won't fit on the plane."

Joe acted indignant, "Why, it is not junk! It's junk food! Which is the most important th–"

"Alicia?"

Joe and Frank whirled around, the light atmosphere growing darker and thicker with tension. Alicia turned around slowly and looked up in to a pair of grey-blue eyes.

Ben's sandy blonde hair blew in the wind softly, and the sad look in his eyes made her heart jump into her throat. She cleared her throat and spoke in what she thought was a strong, uncaring voice.

"Ben. What are you doing here?"

Joe heard Alicia's voice shake with the effort not to cry. He stepped in front of her and pounded his fist threateningly. "Yeah, what are you doing here exactly?"

Frank put a protective hand on Alicia's shoulder and glared at Ben. The Hardy boys saw Ben shrink against the Mental vibes he was receiving. "I was wondering if we could talk."

"Yeah, sure." Alicia waited.

"I meant alone…"

"Well, I'm sorry, I'm very busy. I don't have time to talk anymore. I have more important things to do. If you can't say it here, then you probably won't get the chance. I'll be solving a mysteries too much to even think about you. Or call, or text or just shoot you an email saying how much I care, which, by the way has dwindled greatly. Now if you will excuse me." She strode off to the front door, grabbed he back pack and back to the car door. "Good Bye, Ben." She climbed into the backseat. "Oh, one more thing."

Ben looked up hopefully.

"He's all yours, Joe. Frank."

As Joe and Frank stepped forward, Ben blanched and ran.

**_A/N: I really like reviews, and I know you all are reading. Please? :) Oh, and if you have any questions, all of these characters are thought out in my mind, so if I write things that need more explaining, please, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Sorry! I had extreme writers block, and tried to write through it. Please forgive me and don't stop reading! **** Thanks everyone! (The mystery is going to be great! I've done quite a bit of planning it.)  
~*~ **_

"So, Jean-Claude… I notice you aren't sneaking away from your body guard at every given moment," Alicia poked fun as they were exiting security in the Cincinnati Airport a few hours later.

Jean-Claude smiled, "I think I learned my lesson last time. It's not all about me. I actually have a country that needs me." The four of them picked up their bags and scanned the area for three familiar faces. "So, where are the rest of our friends? I thought their flight got in before ours?"

A squeal came from behind them in response, and the group turned to see Bess running up to Jean- Claude and throwing her arms around his neck. "It's been so long!"

Alicia shook her head and walked over to Nancy and gave her a big hug. "I would say the same thing, but I think this is the shortest time we've spent apart between cases."

Nancy laughed. "It's so true. The wedding was only two and a half weeks ago." She let go as Frank and Joe walked up to them. She gave them both a quick hug, but as usual, held on for a second longer to Frank than they normally would.

As Joe looked up from his final hug with George, he coughed loudly in Frank and Nancy's direction. "Now that our greetings are all complete, what is first on our list?"

"I guess we should check into the hotel, as soon as Jean-Claude can untangle himself from Bess," Alicia nodded over at the two. Bess was clinging on to a flustered Jean-Claude, who obviously was not expecting the ambush, but also not complaining.

Nancy jumped in as they approached. "George, this is Jean-Claude. He's the prince of Sarconne. Last Christmas, we stopped a bombing and a few fake kidnapping attempts. Jean, this is Bess's cousin, George."

"I remember that case. I think you stepped out of security rolling your eyes, right?" George smiled as she shook the prince's hand.

"So what's the plan?" Bess asked excitedly. Everyone laughed.

"Well, we're going to check into the hotel. I don't know what you are going to do," Joe quipped, a hint of acid in his voice. The remark gave Alicia a hint of satisfaction as she glared at Joe for its needlessness. Bess, on the other hand, missed the remark completely.

The group headed to the car rental station, where Frank presented their vehicle for the week to a crowd of unbelieving, disapproving faces.

"Frank…?" Alicia started, eyebrows arched high. Joe continued harshly.

"A minivan? Couldn't you go for something slightly more… impressive? A SUV or… something? Anything?" Joe's voice raised an octave.

"Well, Alicia mentioned you said what could possibly go wrong," Frank said, looking at Alicia to share blame.

Alicia held her hands up to the accusing eyes. "I did not suggest a minivan… I suggested a well insured vehicle. Besides, we're all together. Tell me we are not going to find a mystery." Nobody said a word. "That's what I thought."

"I am merely taking the precautions. Sport cars tend to get expensive every time we rent." He looked at Joe, whose mouth was still hanging open in shock. "Especially when you drive, am I right?"

Joe started to protest, but George stepped in. "Wow, I'm really tired! As much as I love to hear you three banter, we should really get going." She threw her bag into the trunk and crawled into the middle of the van, claiming one of the front backseats.

"Shotgun!" yelled Nancy a split second before Joe. She blushed as she saw Bess, George, and Alicia's expressions. "I just like sitting in the front," she muttered under her breath as everyone else piled into the car. Joe was unhappily stuck in the back with Bess and Jean-Claude.

The van was buzzing with excitement as it sped down the highway and turned down town. Alicia and George were contemplating if Alicia's laptop could be saved from the onslaught of viruses that plagued her computer, Frank and Nancy were discussing college options, and Bess and Jean-Claude were whispering what only Joe could assume were sweet nothings. He sighed and turned to watch the cityscape fly by. When they drove past a community theater, his eyes grew wide.

"Um… Frank? You didn't plan any other surprises for us, did you?"

Frank stopped at a light. "No. Why?"

"Can you park over there? I need to show you something."

Frank pulled over to the side and everyone got out of the car and followed Joe quickly to a sign advertising a play.

"As You Like It. That's one of my favorite plays of Shakespeare's! We have to go see it at least once while we are here," Alicia gushed.

Joe pointed to the bottom of the sign. "I think we'll find ourselves here anyways."

Below the flourished title, names of principle actors and actresses were listed. George read them out loud to the shocked crowd.

"'Starring: Alicia Hardy, Jacob Anderson, Nancy Drew, and Frank Hardy.' Wow! What did you three do to get yourselves in this mess?" she asked the three detectives, who were still staring at the board, the same way Joe had looked at the minivan.

"I don't… wow…" Alicia muttered to herself.

"There has got to be an explanation. A joke maybe?" Frank posed, as he stared unbelieving at the names.

"It's a freaky joke," Bess shivered. "How did they know your names? Or that you would drive down this street, or that you were even here in Cincinnati?"

Jean-Claude pulled her closer as he asked, "And why is it only you three? And who is this Jacob Anderson?"

"So many questions, so few answers: that's how they always start." Joe smiled as he realized that the mystery had already greeted them, and they had been in the city for less than an hour.

Nancy shook herself out of the daze. "Well, there is only one way to find out. Let's go inside, shall we?" She walked over to the doors and threw them open. Everyone followed one by one, Alicia trailing slowly behind Frank at the back of the group. She stopped as two boys walked up to the same board.

"Wow Jake! You didn't tell me you were a star!" The younger boy, about 14 years old and blonde, was obviously enjoying torturing his older brother with the news.

"Quiet, you little twerp, or I'll leave you at the hotel with Mom," the older boy said, lacing the words with affection and seriousness to seal the threat. Alicia smiled as she saw the same thing happen to them as had happened to her the minute before. She decided to try and help diffuse the confusion.

"Jacob Anderson, I presume?" she asked, walking over to the brothers.

The older boy turned, surprised. He tried to cover it by running a hand through his ash brown curls. "Depends."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Depends on what?"

"-On who is asking. Were you the one who put my name on this board?" he asked, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes. Alicia laughed at his presumption.

"You sound like my brothers, all ways jumping to conclusions." She smiled and held out her hand cordially. "My name's Alicia, Alicia Hardy. Frank and Nancy just went inside to ask about our names. You are welcome to join us."

"Jake Anderson; and this is my little brother, Todd."

Todd gave a small wave. "We would love to join you." He received a glare from Jake. "Well we would! You said you wanted to find a mystery this winter break! You may have just found it!"

"A mystery?" Alicia asked, intrigued by the sudden turn of events.

"Alicia? Where did you go?" Joe walked back out of the theater and looked at the two boys and his sister. "Who are these people?" he asked, eyeing Jake suspiciously.

"Joe, this is Jake: Jacob Anderson, and his little brother, Todd." Alicia said motioning to the two. "They are also curious about why our four names ended up on the poster." She turned back to Jake. "This is Joe Hardy, one of my older brothers."

"So this was a surprise for you as well, then?" Joe asked Jake, putting a protective arm around Alicia's shoulders. "Well, this makes for an interesting development. Where are you staying, Jake? I assume you are from out of town…"

"Yeah, my family is here on vacation. We are staying at the Residence Inn on 4th street. Why?"

Alicia looked at her brother curiously. "Why the interrogation? What did you find out?"

At that moment, the rest of the group walked out to meet them. Joe turned to them. "I say we go check in and find more common links between you three and Jake here. I have a feeling this wasn't just some random event, no matter what they said about pranks in there."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

After a long, silent ride to the Residence Inn Marriott, everyone grabbed their bags and headed into the lobby. Jean-Claude got the reservations and handed everyone their keys.

"Let's go put our things down and meet in the Hardy's room to discuss things," he said, headed towards the elevator. "We are all on the same floor, but the rooms are spaced apart a bit. I made the reservations a little late."

"We're in room 216," Alicia told Jake as he walked in behind them. "You should join us."

Jake smiled. "I'd love too. Let me just drop Todd off with my parents, and I'll meet you there." He walked off towards the stairs and dragged his brother through the door.

The gears in Joe's minds were turning. There was something that didn't sit right with him about this Jake Anderson, but there was nothing he could say about it now. His mind kept reeling until-

"Hey you two. We're here." Frank was holding the door open to the room.

Alicia and Joe gasped. "This makes up for the minivan!" Alicia cried as she ran into the room. Instead of the trundle bed that she usually slept on in the middle of a studio styled room, there were two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area with a couch bed. She ran and claimed the back room before Joe got a good look.

"I call the couch then!" Joe called into the room. Frank looked at him questioningly. "What? Didn't you see that TV? 32 inch LCD!"

As Frank placed the last bag in his room, a soft knock came on the door, and Nancy walked in.

"Well, at least we know why we're meeting in here," Nancy said as she said as looked around the room. "When I walked into our room, I thought that was big." She thought about her reaction when she saw the room divided into a sleeping area and a small study and full vanity with lighted mirrors. Bess nearly fainted at the sight.

George tapped on the still open door. "I couldn't drag Bess away from the mirror, so Jean-Claude bribed her with shopping. They just left. Looks like we won't be getting much help from them on the case."

A scoff came from couch where Joe was lounging, staring out the window at the city. Alicia walked out of her room and walked over to Joe. "Aw… I think someone is jealous," she teased and poked him a few times.

"Am not. Knock it off, Alicia." Joe grabbed the hand that was poking him and was about to start a war when Frank called them over.

"We have work to do," Frank said sternly. Joe smirked and pushed past Alicia over to the table where Nancy, George, and Frank had already sat down. He dragged over the office chair, and Alicia pulled over the ottoman. "You could just take the last chair, you know. I did leave it for you."

Alicia smiled. "You forget dear brother, we have-"

A knock sounded on the door. "Hey, Alicia. Joe." Jake peeked his head through the door. "Mind if I join?"

Joe muttered something under his breath about minding a lot, and Alicia was busy throwing a glare in her over protective brother's direction, so Frank stood and interrupted. "Not at all. I'm Frank," he said as he shook Jakes hand, "Alicia's eldest brother. This is Nancy. She's a friend of ours."

As Jake shook Nancy's hand, Frank motioned to the empty chair business like and started to continue. "Now, When we talked to the theater today, they said they had no idea how our names got up onto that board, only that four of the players have gotten sick, injured, or have just plain disappeared. They were looking for four community members to step in; after all, it is a reader's theater. They asked us if we would be willing, even though it is our vacation. We said we'd talk you two into it."

"Um, question: What is a reader's theater?" Jake was uncertain about participating in a Shakespeare play, with lots of lines and meters to memorize.

Alicia filled in, "You have the script/book up on stage with you. You are still acting, still all the props and nonsense, but it's a much more casual setting, and there is a lot less pressure on the actors. Most of the time, with all of the rehearsals, you get off book, but it's nice to have the lines there anyways. Usually it's a children's program, or sometimes even a children's production, but this doesn't seem to be the case." She paused. "Why would you volunteer us for something like that?"

"I thought it would give us an insight to the missing leads." Frank brought out two pictures from his backpack. "Ashley Stoddard and Roy Lexington were playing Rosalind and Orlando. Both hadn't missed a day of rehearsal since the start of the company, let alone the production."

"No one has seen them in the past two weeks, and they are worried. There have also been quite a few accidents, two of which left the two performers playing Oliver and Celia incapacitated. They gave us scripts and guides to the stage and prop rooms. I think we can help… in more than one way," Nancy added pointedly.

Alicia smiled. "Do you two always finish each other's thoughts?" Frank and Nancy looked down at their hands.

George threw a reproachful glance at Alicia. "Is this really the time?" she shot under her breath to Alicia.

Joe laughed and decided to save his brother by changing the subject. "We did come prepared to run into a mystery, did we not?" he asked slyly. He looked pointedly over at Frank, changing his mind about his nice streak. "Or did we get that minivan because of its style?"

Jake looked surprised at the word 'mystery.' "What do you mean by you were 'prepared to run into a mystery?'"

"We occasionally solve a few cases here and there," Nancy input. "Usually whenever I run into the Hardys, another case comes along."

"Yep, trouble follows us everywhere. Like iron to a super magnet. Hence the two mysteries we already have here." Alicia looked at Joe, who was now contemplating Jake's sudden mood change.

"Wait a second. Are you that Nancy Drew, the girl detective from River Heights?" when Nancy nodded slowly, Jake laughed. "My grandparents just moved to River Heights and could stop talking about the mysteries you solved." At their confused looks, he added, "I'm sort of a detective, too. I've just moved from Oregon to Chicago."

Joe froze. There's a connection, he thought. "What are the odds…" he mused to himself.

"Mystery lovers from east coast, mid-west, and now west coast, all in the same area, looking for trouble on an all too quiet winter break. Anyone else think that this wasn't a coincidence?" Jake asked curiously.

"Definitely not." George spoke up. "So what we really need to know if there were any cases where you may have crossed investigations, or something along those lines."

Silence fell on the room; everyone racked their brains to figure out how there could be any connection. George twiddled her thumbs as she watched the five detectives stew in their thoughts, amused by the looks of concentration on their face. Minutes went by before she saw Alicia give up.

"Nothing. There is absolutely no scenario I can think of that could bring the four of us into the same case."

"Or have the same enemies," Nancy added.

"Let alone ones out of jail or free to set this up." Joe looked at Jake, a new thought prickling his mind. "What got you into solving mysteries, anyways? And how long have you been at it?"

"My dad is a forensic scientist, mainly dealing with the criminalistic forensics. That kind of stuff always interested me. One thing led to another, and I guess, like you said, trouble seems to find me. It's been following me since I was 9… so about 8 years now. What about you guys?" he asked, turning to Nancy. "What got you into this and how did you meet? Being from Illinois and all."

"My dad's a DA and worked many a case with their father in New York."

"Who used to be NYPD, but is now a private detective," Frank added.

"And every summer after that first time he brought Nancy over, if we didn't find trouble, we made our own. We didn't need to fall back on that though." Joe leaned back in his chair, still puzzled.

Something clicked in Frank's mind. "Jake, how well know is your dad?"

"Well, he has found evidence that put away criminals some thought were impossible to put behind bars. I guess his name was pretty well known." Jake paused as he got where Frank was going with this. "Maybe there was a case our fathers all worked on? Is that what you are thinking?"

"It's worth asking," Frank agreed.

"Why don't we go talk to your father?" George asked, "Isn't your room just down the hall?"

"Yeah, and after that, maybe we should head to the theater again, see what else we can find out about the missing cast members."

Everyone stood to leave the room when Joe's stomach growled loudly. "I think we should get some lunch while we are out, too."

Alicia shook her head, "You and your stomach… What are we ever going to do with you?"

"Feed Me, Seymour!" The gang laughed as they exited through the door. Alicia moved to close the door behind them when she heard a soft thump from outside their window. She looked around, saw nothing, and shrugged. "Must have been my imagination." She closed the door and locked it.

A shadow slid a window open and climbed into the young girl's room. This is all too easy, the trespasser thought, and a roguish smile crossed the darkened face.

**_A/N: Hey Guys! Thanks for waiting again. I promise, from here on out, things are going to start picking up. No more introductions or silly no action parts. More cliff hangers, more mystery, more intrigue. Please review! I appreciate them and they give me more confidence and help stop my writers block, which, as I get closer to finals, seems to hit harder. It would make me the happiest person alive. Thanks!_**


	4. Chapter 4

Jake knocked on the door in a playful rhythm. Footsteps ran to the door and threw the door open wide. "It's about time you got back! So tell me everything! What's she like? Does she-"

Jake threw a hand over his little brother's mouth. "We are here on business. Is Dad here?"

"Come in, honey. Who are your friends?" His mom looked up from the book she was reading as his dad walked around the corner. He stopped when he saw the people filing into the room.

"You must be Fenton and Carson's kids. I can tell from the pictures." He walked up and shook all of their hands. "I'm Henry Anderson and that is my wife, Ann. What brings you down here?"

Nancy was the first to recover from the initial shock. "We were actually here to ask you if you perchance knew our fathers and worked on a case together."

"I guess we can consider that questioned answered," Alicia smiled, eyebrows raised.

Joe shook his head. "Now I just have more questions though. So much for lunch." He looked pathetically at Alicia, who shoved his head playfully aside.

Frank's cell started to vibrate. He looked at it and nodded. "That's the director. Rehearsals start in an hour. I was kind of hoping to get a look around before our schedules are swamped with practice as well."

George looked excited. "We should split up! Four of us can go down to the theater right now and check it out! I really want to take a look at the black box."

Alicia watched Joe's nervous glance. She had a feeling he knew how the groups would be split, and she bet he wasn't ready to leave his sister alone with another boy. She wasn't sure if she was ready either, and she had a lot of questions to ask. She smiled casually. "Joe and I will stay here and finish asking questions. See you in an hour?" she asked generally, specifically focused on Jake when she said it. She saw him start to protest, but as her eyes flicked from Joe and back, he stopped almost as quickly.

"Alright, an hour."

Todd ran to go with them, but with a silent glare from his mother, he slunk back into the room and sat on the foot rest at her feet.

As the four left, Joe gave an all knowing look to Alicia. "You did that for me, didn't you?"

"I'm not completely selfless. I had some questions to ask as well, and you seemed, well, over protective at the moment." She smiled, "Let's continue, shall we?"

Henry shook his head. "I can't believe you kids already found trouble. What has it been: a couple of hours?" He sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed in the small room. "Please, have a seat. What is it I can help you with?"

Joe sat in one of the unoccupied chairs and folded his hands. "Well, for starters, are there any cases, opened or closed that you worked on with our fathers that would want to target all three of you?"

Henry nodded. "There are quite a few actually. Most of them I can't disclose information, you understand, but maybe if there were more specifics-"

"Is this an interrogation? Is Dad a suspect? Is-"

Ann put a hand over her son's mouth gently, not taking her eyes off of her book. "It's called reconnaissance: the preliminary research and investigation. They are just looking for information. Now be quiet and listen. You may learn something."

Alicia couldn't help but smile at Todd as she told him the little information that they knew. "Someone pasted four of our names on a theater billboard for Shakespeare's As You Like It. Our names are also on the volunteer cast list as of today. We walked in to ask, no one seems to know who put our names on the list. The cast members, whose parts we are taking, either mysteriously disappeared or were hurt in one of the many accidents that have been happening; conveniently leaving the leads open for us."

Ann smiled again, this time looking up from her book. "Sounds very Phantom of the Opera, doesn't it?"

Henry's expression dropped at the mention of 'Phantom.' "I received a letter in the mail in October. I thought it was just some holiday prank, so I didn't pay any attention to it." He scratched his chin, trying to remember. "Something about… 'Stop thy unhallowed toil. Can vengeance be pursued further than death? Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee. Go with me, for thou must die.' I believe it was signed 'The Phantom' actually."

Alicia's eyes grew wide. "Romeo and Juliet," she barely breathed. At the glance from Joe and Henry, she explained. "It's what Paris says to Romeo when they go to see Juliet's tomb. He accuses Romeo of taking Montague revenge a step to far by disturbing Juliet's tomb and challenges him to protect her honor with a fight to the death. Romeo of course does not want to fight, but does what he has to do to see his Juliet." She looked sheepish. _I'm such a nerd,_ she thought.

Joe shrugged. "So we are looking for a Phantom Shakespeare…" he said disbelievingly.

Henry laughed. "I've heard worse. Trust me," he said with a hand up to Joe's curious glance, "you don't want to know."

Alicia was lost in thought, and didn't realize the conversation had gone on without her. "Yoohoo! Earth to Alicia, is there anyone up there? Over." Joe poked her in the side and she jumped. He laughed, "That must have been some thought. What are you thinking?"

Alicia shook her head. "Didn't Dad get a prank note the other day?"

Joe thought for a moment and nodded. "I think you're right. Maybe we should give him a call and see if it said something similar." Joe's stomach growled loudly, and gave a pathetic look towards Alicia as she snickered quietly.

"We should probably feed him, if you will excuse us. He hasn't had anything since the peanuts on the plane."

"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson," Joe said as he stood quickly.

Henry smiled. "Anytime. Feel free to come back if you need anything, and don't get into trouble. I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news."

"Don't worry, no trouble here!" Joe said, with a mock salute.

"We'll see you around." Alicia pulled Joe out into the hall as she waved. "Come on," she said with another tug. "I forgot my cell phone in the room. Let's go pick it up then call Dad while we eat lunch."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Joe said with an eager grin. "I'm starving!"

Alicia just shook her head as she opened the door to their room, then over to the door that divided the backroom from everywhere else and stopped. When she heard the soft thud of the window closing, she threw open the door and gasped. The room had been decorated to look like a nursery straight out of a haunted house. "Joe!" Alicia called. As he ran into the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"This… is horrifying," he said, looking over at a small fake crib covered in drips of red paint, and a creepy clown doll stashed in the corner.

"Tell me about it," Alicia said with a shiver. "I think I'm stealing the couch tonight." She walked over to the night stand and picked up the note. "Take a look at this," she said, handing it to him.

"All the world's a stage," Joe read aloud, "And all the men and women merely players; They have their entrances and their exits, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms." Below, in small print, it said, "Act 1: Scene 1. Baby's Entrance. Scene 2. Nurse's Discovery. Scene 3. Baby's Exit. End of Act 1."

Alicia scoffed. "Apparently, our villain hasn't taken Evil Notes 101, or Shakespeare 101 for that matter, considering the common mix up of the entrance/exit line. And I resent the mewling and puking comment."

"You are the baby of the family," Joe said, thinking. "I don't like this, Alicia. You could be in serious danger, and we don't know what we are dealing with."

She just shook her head. "This happens every case. There isn't anything different about this one from the last ten thousand."

"Except the direct life threat left with a creepy clown doll and knife." Joe looked completely serious as Alicia shrugged it off.

"The clown has a knife? Good for him. He can stand watch and make sure no one else breaks in."

Joe grabbed her shoulder as she started to walk away, and turned her to face him. "Alicia, I'm serious, and if I'm serious, then this is serious. Not to mention, you are acting really carefree, and I have a feeling you are about to do something reckless, so don't."

Alicia sighed. "Alright, I'll be careful." Joe nodded his approval, then grabbed her cell phone, steering her out into the hall back towards Jake's family's room.

"Now, I'm going to call the police, then Dad, then grab us some grub." He knocked on their door.

"And I'm going to…" She asked as the door opened.

"Joe, Alicia, you haven't been gone long," Mr. Anderson said with raised eyebrows.

Joe nodded. "Sorry to intrude, but I thought maybe you and Mrs. Anderson would like some time alone, and I need to keep Alicia here out of trouble. She'd be happy to babysit, no fee necessary."

"What?!" both Alicia and Todd cried.

At Joe's insistent look, he smiled and nodded. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. Come on, dear. There is this great Brazilian restaurant downtown I actually wanted to take you to, but I didn't want to pay for the four of us."

"Come on, Joe! This is a low blow!"

"Yeah, Joe!" Todd added, "Really low!"

"You two can go to the rehearsal, still," Todd's mother said, patting him on the back. "Just don't get into any trouble."

As the adults hurried from the room, Alicia and Todd sighed.

**AN: Long time no see! Sorry, I'll try and start posting until I finish all my in progress stories :) I'll be back for a little while!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alicia sighed standing on stage, watching Todd kick his feet up on the seat in front of him, completely bored. She walked down and handed him her phone. "I don't have much in the way of games, but I'm sure you can entertain yourself."

"Do you have internet?" he asked, taking the phone. Alicia smiled.

"Yeah, I do. Try not to kill my battery." Alicia ran back up as the Director called for their 'Rosalind and Celia.' "I'm coming, I'm coming."

The director smiled and clapped her hands. "Very good. Now, start with act 1: scene 2."

Alicia sighed. She and Nancy took the stage to re-enact the battle of wits between two best friends, and they easily fell into it. They drilled it over and over for an hour, something bugging Alicia every time The director said "Act:1, Scene 2." Then she realized something.

"The baby isn't me, Joe," she whispered as he recited his lines. "Act one, scene two, Nurse's discovery. It has to be a pair. I don't have a nurse." As she picked up where he left off, he whispered back,

"Then who is?"

She thought for a moment, then broke character with a gasp, running over to Jake. "Jake, where is Todd?!"

"He was still in the audience last I checked," he said, walking to the edge of the stage and looking out into the empty auditorium. Alicia grabbed his phone and dialed her number quickly.

"Come on, come on, come on… let me be wrong…"

Her "Scooby-Doo" ringtone rang in the second aisle, right where Todd had been sitting before. "No…" she whispered as Joe walked to the front of the stage with her. "This can't be happening."

Jake's face was white as he ran down the stairs, checking the entire auditorium. "Todd?! Todd! Where are you?!" He whirled around to face Alicia. "What's going on?!"

Alicia pulled the note out of her pocket and showed it to him as Frank, George, and Nancy joined them. "We found this, along with a ton of creepy baby junk in my room. I thought it was a threat to me!"

Frank looked over Jake's shoulder and sighed. "I'll go call the police. Jake, call your parents, tell them what is going on. Nancy, call your dad and see what else we can find out about that phantom. We'll all head back to the hotel as soon as we are done."

As the group ran off, the director called after them blindly. "The show must go on, people!" As they kept exiting, calling their apologies, she sighed. "Alright, everyone take a long five minute break."

* * *

Alicia picked up her phone and saw a new text message on her display. As she opened it, she blanched.

_Then the whining schoolgirl, with her satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school. Act 2: Park._

Alicia closed her phone and ran after the others, not wanting to get left behind.

* * *

The entire ride back to the hotel, Jake was stony silent, avoiding Alicia's pleading glances. Alicia finally spoke up, her voice soft. "Jake… I'm sorry—"

"Just drop it, Alicia," he said shortly.

"We'll find him—"

"I said drop it!" As Frank pulled to a stop outside the hotel, Jake jumped out without a glance back. Alicia slid out the other side, hurt expression in tow. Joe put a hand on her shoulder.

"It isn't your fault, Alicia. We all were there."

Alicia shook her head. "Can you guys just give me a moment? I'll be up shortly; I just need some time to myself."

George, who was wiping paint from her hands on her jeans still, got out behind her and said simply, "You shouldn't go alone. Someone else should go with you. I'll go, if you'd like," she volunteered. "I'll be silent as a mouse." Alicia nodded and the two walked away from the van, Alicia still heavy hearted.

Frank walked around the van and sighed. "Well… what now?"

Nancy shrugged. "I guess we go up and see if we find any other surprises in our rooms."

* * *

Nancy grabbed the note off of her bed and walked over to the Hardy's room. "Look at this, guys. _And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to her master's brow_."

"Okay, you two, when even the bad guys start pairing you together, you have to admit that there is something going on there," Joe quipped. Frank turned red as he held up his heart shaped note.

_"And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow._ And no, Joe, we don't have to admit anything._"_

Nancy nodded her agreement. "We are dating other people, and love them very much."

"This is all from a verse in As You Like It." Joe continued, ignoring the blatant denial. "I'd say our villain has a passion for Shakespeare at the least, and theater at the most," Joe said looking at his note. "Soldier… huh… But these notes are different than the first one. The first one laid out the acts and scenes perfectly, like the perp knew what was going to happen."

Nancy pulled out her script and shuffled through the pages until she found the stanza she was looking for. "Probably because we are missing a part. The schoolboy."

"I'll go check with Jake," Joe said, rushing to the door, meeting Jake there. "Hey! I was just coming to see you—"

"Did you guys get these notes too?" Jake asked breathlessly. At everyone's nod, he asked, "Who has the school boy note?"

"We thought you'd have it…" Joe started. Frank and Nancy exchanged looks, the thought crossing their mind at the exact same time.

"Alicia."

"Why doesn't that girl tell us anything?" Frank asked as he pulled out his phone and speed dialed 2. After a long three rings, Alicia picked up.

"What's up?" she asked, her voice tired.

Frank sighed. "Nice to hear from you too. Did you get a note pertaining to a school boy, perchance?"

"I got one pertaining to a school girl." There was a pause, then she added, "I think George and I are in the wrong place. Act 2 just said 'Park'. And somehow, though I've been avoiding them, we managed to land in a park. Not only that, but I get the distinct feeling someone is following us, and whoever it is I think knew how I would react to the pressure."

Frank heard George as she said, "There he is! That's the third time I've seen him. And sunglasses, and mustache are blocking those exits, I could swear they're following us too. Alicia, let's get out of here."

"Frank I've got to go. I'll call you as soon as it's safe."

"Alicia! Don't hang up!" Frank listened as there was a scuffle on the other side of the conversation. There was a thud and a crack as the phone landed, and Frank winced.

"Hey! Watch it bud!" George called.

"Sorry, miss. I didn't mean to bowl over your friend."

"George, they are coming."

"We have to go, excuse us."

"Forgive me."

**_*Crack!*_**

"GEORGE!"

"Someone call nine-one-one!"

Frank stared wide eyed. "Where are you! Alicia! I'm still here!"

"Frank! I don't know what's going on! I got pushed to the outside of the crowd—"

"Are you the friend of the girl who was just attacked?"

"Yes, sir."

"We need you to come with us right away."

"… You're not a cop. So no."

"Hand over the phone."

"Wha—oh…"

"Come quietly and there won't be any trouble."

"Quiet isn't in my vocabulary," he heard his sister's response.

"Then you brought this on yourself."

"Wait, no!"

The call disconnected and Frank swore loudly. "What happened?" Joe asked.

"George got attacked, and in the mass chaos it caused, I think I just listened to our little sister's abduction."

* * *

_**Sorry, guys. If this sounds a little forced, it kinda was. I'm working on it, but things aren't flowing as well as I thought. Let me know what you think, please! Any comments or helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. **_


	6. Chapter 6

Nancy headed to the hospital with Frank to see George and make sure she was okay, while Joe watched police and investigators come in and out of their hotel rooms.

"You Joe Hardy?"

Joe turned to see a man in basic suit and tie, holding up a badge. Joe shrugged. "Yeah, what of it?"

"We need to ask you a few questions. Your brother said you might be able to fill in some holes for us. He said something about another note you thought might have threatened your sister?"

Joe nodded, then sighed. "It said something about everyone having their exits, and then mentioned first the infant, and laid out the first act. Since Alicia got the note, my first thought was it must have been her. I didn't even think about the Anderson's youngest son. We just met them. It didn't even cross my mind." He sat down and put his head in his hands. "This can't be happening."

The man put away his pad of paper and sat down next to him. "Don't worry, son. I'll tell you exactly what I told the Andersons. We're going to find them, and the person responsible for this will pay for what they did." He patted Joe's shoulder. "And one more thing, you Hardys, the Anderson boy, and the Drew kid have a tendency to get into trouble. I'll need you four to lay low and not go looking for the perp. Let the police do their jobs, okay?" Joe nodded mutely and the man stood up. "We called your parents, they'll be here tomorrow." At Joe's insistent silence, he said, "The name is Detective Nemo. Sounds like 'demo,' spelled like the fish?" Joe looked up with an eyebrow raised. "I thought you might say something in regards to that."

Joe shrugged and sighed. "How long?"

"How long what?" Detective Nemo asked, slightly relieved the boy had spoken.

"How long until we get a call, or something happens?" Joe asked, standing with an air of frustration. "How long are we going to have to put up with people telling us it will be alright when the first hour is the most crucial for kids, which Todd is, and it's already up?! How long until Alicia is found hurt or—"

"That is enough, boy. Now sit down, and calm down. You getting worked up isn't going to help her."

Joe sat back down and Detective Nemo nodded. "I'll be back. I'm going to get the Anderson's. Based on your information, I think the same people that have your sister have their son. We'll wait for the call together."

He left and returned moments later with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, and a less than willing Jake behind them. "You alright, son?" Henry asked, placing a hand on Joe's shoulder briefly.

Joe shook his head. "If I could be doing something, I would be. Frank at least has the girls to take care of—"

"I just gave a Bess Marvin Directions to the hospital," Detective Nemo said, walking over to the window. "She said your other friend went home, something about the current situation—"

"Yeah, thanks, I got it," Joe muttered. As Jake glared at him, Joe looked up. "What's your problem?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jake said acidly. "My baby brother is just missing, so nothing too serious."

"If you are implying fault," Joe growled.

"Not at all," Jake said sarcastically.

Joe sneered, "Well, guess what, we're even, because guess who's fault it is Alicia is missing and George is in the hospital? Oh right. Someone had to make her cry."

"That's not fair," Jake started.

"No," Joe interrupted. "What's not fair is Alicia just broke up with a guy early this morning, and I'm not ready to trust any guy near my sister, and Alicia was the one who gave you a chance. That's not fair."

"Boys, enough. We are all rattled," Ann said, sitting at the kitchen table. "Fighting and blaming isn't going to help."

Jake paled and sat down in the arm chair, looking rattled. "Damn. It is my fault."

"Jake, Language."

"Sorry, Mom."

They sat in intense silence, staring at the hotel phone and the cell phones that had been place on the table.

After a really long time, Joe said softly, "I'm sorry, Jake. It's just…"

"It's fine, I get it. I really do."

The silence continued, and Joe closed his eyes, leaning back against the couch's back.

And waited.

And waited.

"Detective, no offence, but are you even sure they are going to—"

*Hello! There's a phone in your pocket! I'm on vibrate! BBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*

Joe looked at his phone, then up at the detective, who nodded. "Just keep them talking."

Joe took a deep breath, then opened the phone. "H-hello?"

"Thirty seconds," the gravelly voice said, then two familiar voices could be heard.

_"Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine, Todd. We'll get out of here or someone will find us long before we drown. And it could be worse."_

_"Worse than locked in a kinky prop closet that's slowly flooding?"_

_"Do you even know what it is you just said?" _There was a pause._ "Yes, I still think it could be worse, it could be quickly flooding."_

_"Yeah, I guess you are right. I guess these cuffs and chains could be fuzzy and pink."_

_"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."_

_"What, I read."_

Another pause._ "I guess we could be alone."_

_"I guess we could already be dead."_

_"I guess…"_

"Alicia?" Joe asked. "Todd, can you hear me?!" They continued their conversation with no notice. "What do you want?! Who are you?"

"Time's up."

"No! Wait!" Joe cried. The deafening sound of the click followed by silence made him freeze then lower the phone. "Damn."

No one bothered to correct his statement, they were all thinking the same thing.

Joe looked up. "Any way we can check every prop closet below the water line?" Detective Nemo turned and whispered something to another officer, who ran off down the hall.

"Sorry, Joe, but we'll do the next best thing and at least check the theater where your names showed up."

"'I guess it could be worse' is the game we would play when something bad would happen," Henry said with a sigh.

"Instead of jinxing our luck with it couldn't get worse, we'd list the ways it could," Ann told Joe. "And the game always ended the same way."

"I guess it could be worse," Jake said as the detective was called from the room, finishing the game. Joe knew the last line, and looked solemnly out the window at the clouds that had been rolling in all morning.

"I guess it could be raining."

* * *

_**Sorry guys! No internet makes updating difficult. Thanks for the reviews and don't forget to write another!**_


	7. Chapter 7

"Alicia, I don't think I have much time left!" Todd yelled above the sound of rushing water. "Did you get your hands free?"

Alicia spluttered as she choked on some of the water. "N-no! My hand slipped. All I've got is a bloody wrist now. But I might be able to reach your ankles, which should buy us a little more time. Just hold on!" She let herself sink under the water and strained against the chains to reach for Todd's bound feet. She was short by mere inches. Cursing herself silently, she tried again and again, then broke the surface in despair. "Todd! How are you holding up?"

"Alicia," he said, the fear evident in his eyes. The water was well above his chin, and she could tell he was straining to keep it that way.

"Don't give up yet. We'll get out of here. We have to." Todd tilted his head further back as the water kept rising. Alicia dove under again, then resurfaced. "Can you move towards me at all?" Todd shook his head, and Alicia swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm not going to stop trying," she said firmly. "I'll stay under with you the entire time. Just hold on for me, okay? Don't give up yet."

Together they took one last breath, and Alicia slipped under as the water closed over Todd's nose and mouth. She tugged at her chains as Todd struggled as close to her as he could move. She reached out with the small shift she was able to find, and she almost could slip it under the shackle. She looked up as Todd gave her another centimeter, starting to panic without oxygen. It gave her the room she needed. She grabbed his foot and slid the small piece of metal into the brace, and after a long four seconds, felt the satisfaction of it popping unlocked. She smiled up at Todd and broke the surface. After a moment, she realized Todd hadn't.

"Todd!" she cried. She dove back under, trying to push him back up to the top for air. As she tried and tried, she felt the darkness closing in around her as well, her instinct telling her to break to the surface. She finally was able to get Todd above the water level, but at a great cost to her energy. She couldn't fight the weight of the chains anymore, and looked up. The surface looked closer, almost. She let go of Todd and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_Sorry, Huge writer's block, but I'll give you what I've got :) Please feed my mind with reviews :)_


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